INTO THE BUSINESS ENDIt was a rather interesting couple days last weekend for the Laurier Golden Hawks Women’s Soccer team, which saw them blow out struggling Algoma on Saturday before receiving a bizarre victory on Sunday due to a heat-induced forfeit from the Thunderbirds.

Regardless of the means in which they got them, the Hawks (4-2-4) gained a valuable six points to rocket themselves back up the OUA West Division standings into a tie for third with Waterloo at 16 points.

Suddenly, the purple and gold find themselves on the home stretch of the regular, with six games remaining and the playoffs on the horizon. Firmly in that post-season mix, the Hawks final games will be crucial in cementing their place in the playoffs and determining their positioning. Five of their final six opponents also currently hold playoff positions within the division.

That one opponent who is not holding down a top-6 spot is the McMaster Marauders, whom the Hawks will tangle with in the final game of a five-match homestand on Friday afternoon at University Stadium. Victims of a tough schedule to this point, the Marauders (1-3-5) are no slouch by any definition of the word. In fact, the Hawks needed some late dramatics just to escape Hamilton with a draw during opening week.

While trying to defend their position from the likes of McMaster, the purple and gold will look to chase down Guelph Gryphons, who presently own the second seed and the first round bye that comes with it. The Gryphons (6-3-1) handed Laurier their worst loss of the season, a 3-0 setback in the Hawks home opener, which will only serve as more motivation when the team heads up the road to Guelph on Sunday.

THROW-IN’S- Following their seven-goal outburst on Saturday, the Hawks are now second in the OUA West with 17 goals for- Only four points separate seeds two through five in the division, which includes Guelph, Waterloo, Laurier, and Windsor- Both McMaster and Guelph come into this weekend off home losses, with the Marauders falling to U SPORTS No. 5 Western and the Gryphons being handed a setback from Waterloo- Defending OUA Champion and U SPORTS No. 2 UOIT stand alone as the only OUA team to still have a perfect record at 9-0

PLAYERS TO WATCHWilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks (4-2-4)

F Maxine Murchie (Kitchener, Ont.)- Following a considerable amount of time missed due to playing internationally for Canada as well as injuries, Murchie appeared to be back in vintage form on Saturday, with two goals, an assist, and five shots. A happy sight for Hawks fans no doubt.

McMaster Marauders (1-3-5)

F Maila Carboni (Hamilton, Ont.)- The senior striker leads the Marauders in goals (3) and shots (17), she also provided the opener when Laurier visited Mac in late August

Guelph Gryphons (6-3-1)

F Victoria Hinchliffe (Guelph, Ont.)- The Guelph-native is a key part of a very balanced attack that the Gryphons employ, she is second on the team in shots with 14